Redemption
by PadawanMage
Summary: [KOTOR] What if Carth had left early to go find Revan in the Rakatan temple and missed her turn to the dark side with Bastila? A Dark Side Female Romance story not seen in the final game.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** "Redemption"

**Summary:** Carth tries to find Revan as she goes to the Rakatan Temple.

**Author's Notes:** This story is inspired by a clip I watched on YouTube of a 'Dark Side Romance Ending' in which Carth confronts Revan on the Star Forge after she's killed Malak. I didn't exactly like Carth running off and leaving Mission behind back on the 'uknown world', so I wrote this to try and explain what happened.

My thanks to Alice for being a great beta as well as inspiring me with her own redemption story.

Read and Review!

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Carth Onasi, blaster in hand, slowly peered over a large outcropping of rocks and rubble. Off a short distance away, the Rakatan Temple beckoned, its large central spire rising high into the air like a dagger aimed at the heavens. The Republic Captain shivered at the imagery, but forcefully got a hold of himself. From where he crouched, he could see no sign of Revan, Jolee or Juhani. He needed to get closer, but there was a _slight_ problem – half a dozen rather large rancors playing and tussling in the fields surrounding the construct.

Carth narrowed his eyes, his lips twisting slightly. Difficult, but not impossible.

An army of rancors, Dark Jedi or even Sith wouldn't have kept him away – not when there'd been a promise to keep.

**-O-**

_**Several hours before…**_

"Will you stop that pacing, Republic? You're turning the sand beneath your feet into glass."

Carth abruptly paused in his strides under the Ebon Hawk to glare at Canderous Ordo. The older man coolly gazed back at the Republic officer, and then casually dismissed him by returning back to cleaning his heavy repeating blaster. His newly acquired Mandalorian battle armor shone under the Rakatan sun, with the helm resting on a boulder nearby. Carth felt uneasy about that. Wearing that armor, the mercenary looked…colder, more determined, ready to follow and execute any order given to him – especially one from Revan.

"I'm sure Revan's fine, Carth," a voice said from behind, interrupting Carth's worried musing. "If Jolee and Juhani hadn't gotten to her before the Rakatans opened the temple, they would have been back here in no time."

Carth smiled tightly as he glanced over his shoulder at the young Twi'lek repairing one of the _'Hawk's_ landing struts with a Wookiee nearby, handing tools to her.

"I know, Mission," Carth said. Even from miles away, the ancient temple could be seen. Although he was no Jedi, a pit still formed in his stomach as he stared at it. "I just can't help feeling that I should be there with them as well."

"You don't think Revan can take of herself?" Mission Vao said as she wiped her hands on an oily rag Zaalbar had handed her.

Carth shook his head. "It's not that," he said, sparing another uneasy glance at the far off Rakatan structure. "I mean, you heard Jolee and Juhani. They both said this place is suffused with the dark side and that its focal point is that temple." His face hardened. "I'm just afraid that with Revan in the center of it, she won't be able to keep a clear head."

Mission frowned but didn't respond. Slowly, she said, "I – I didn't want to say this but, I've been worried about Revan ever since we escaped from the _Leviathan _and had to leave Bastila behind. Sometimes, I'd walk past her door and I could hear her almost yelling in her sleep. It must've been nightmares because she'd say Bastila's name from time to time."

"Can you blame her?" Carth said, shaking his head. "One minute she thinks she's a soldier turned Jedi, the next, she's told by Darth Malak himself that she's actually the most hated and feared person in the galaxy." He sighed. "Hell, it was a lot for _me_ to take in. I guess I didn't help things any when I couldn't face her for a while."

"No, you sure didn't," Mission said flatly. Carth winced a little at the accusation but could think of no reply. The rest of the crew had taken the news of Mirelle's true identity in stride, much to his surprise. Memories of Telos had been just too fresh in his mind. Would things have been different if he'd been a little more forgiving? He just didn't know.

Mission checked one more setting on an open panel and then had Zaalbar close it up. She chewed on his lip for a bit before speaking. "It's – it's been a while since I could really trust anyone, especially having lived in LoCity. All I ever had was Big Z to watch my back. I've been with you guys almost a year now, going from one side of this galaxy to the next looking for these Star Maps." She swallowed. "Griff's an okay brother, but you guys are…my friends and I really don't want anything to happen to you."

Carth felt a tightness that gripped him like a vise. He could understand Mission's reluctance to trust anyone. For him, trust had been almost impossible after what had happened to Telos and the betrayal by Admiral Karath. Grudgingly, he'd grown to respect Lt. Mirelle Dana as they'd first escaped to Taris and then to Dantooine where she'd been tapped to not only become a Jedi Padawan, but also lead him, Bastila and the others on an odyssey across the galaxy. Somewhere along the way, he'd felt something he'd thought long dead deep within his soul slowly come back to life. His heart belonged to Mirelle even before he'd consciously realized it.

But betrayal, unfortunately, had one more vicious joke to play on Carth.

He could still hear Saul silently laughing at him as he lay dying at his feet on the bridge of the _Leviathan_. Karath's final act of malice:

_"You…didn't know…did you? You blind fool…she's...she's Darth Revan…"_

Carth had nearly lost his mind at that moment – everything that he feared had come to pass at Saul's words. However, rage had slowly been replaced by pity as he'd witnessed how distraught Mirelle had been at the revelation – especially with the damning confirmation made by Darth Malak.

The final leg to the Star Forge had been a long one, but one filled with cautious, if reluctant, reconciliation. Carth had known bitter regret for too long to let it darken his life once again. He'd seen how Mirelle…Revan…had struggled with her sanity and had tried to provide the support she'd desperately needed. Even as they'd arrived at Lehon, the Rakatan homeworld, Carth had still caught the struggle going on in Revan's eyes.

People often seek each other out in times of great stress and turmoil and the night before Revan was to meet with the Rakatan Elders in front of the Temple, she sought out Carth. She seemed so at peace as she walked up to him on the beach, barefoot, with a small, white flower placed in her hair.

The thundering surf did little to dim the passion each saw in the other's eyes. With the stars glittering high in the Rakatan night, they made love under the gathering darkness. Afterwards, as they lay in each other's arms, Carth held Revan as she cried on his chest, weeping desperate tears onto his skin. She confessed that there was still a part of her that was afraid of Malak, afraid of the power within the Star Forge…and afraid of not being strong enough to resist the pull of the dark side.

Carth held her tightly and promised her, right then and there, that he'd be at her side to make sure he'd save her, not only from the Sith, but also from herself. The next morning, Carth woke to find Revan gone…and the flower she'd worn carefully placed in his jacket pocket.

Carth now glanced once again at the tall spire of the Temple and his sense of foreboding deepened. A chill suddenly went down his back. Something had gone horribly wrong – he just felt it. He said as much to Mission as he abruptly turned and marched purposefully up the loading ramp.

"Oh, so now you're a Jedi, huh?" Mission breathlessly said as she ran after him. Carth walked into the main cargo hold, opened up a weapons locker and started picking out items.

"Don't forget Dustil's Force sensitive, Mission, even if he started out in the Sith Academy," he replied as took off his orange jacket and slid into Echani Medium Battle Armor. "I know next to nothing about the Force, but I'd think he must've gotten the ability from either one or both of his parents." He finished checking the charges on his personal blasters, grabbed a bandoleer of assorted grenades and made for the exit.

"Hang on a sec!"

Carth turned and watched Mission run down a passageway towards her quarters. Moments later, she came back holding a worn-looking thick belt embedded with controls and delicate looking circuitry.

"Hmm," she said, eyeing Carth's armor. "I don't know how well this'll work with that on, but I think if you use it sparingly and either stand still or walk very slowly, you might be able to make it past anything that comes your way."

Carth's eyes widened slightly. "You're _giving_ me your own stealth field generator?"

"You wish, grandpa," Mission said with a laugh. "This is only a loaner. There're still a lot of rancors between here and there. You'd never make it by yourself, so this should give an added advantage. Besides, I've added a few special modifications myself so it should work the way I described."

She wrapped the belt around Carth's waist, tapped on a control, checked a tiny readout and then nodded to herself. "You're good to go."

Carth couldn't help smiling. "Thanks, Mission. Something tells me it'll come in handy."

Mission sobered a little. "Just find Revan, Carth." Then, with a twinkle in her eye said, "...and bring back my belt, of course." Before Carth could say anything, she rushed up and gave him a quick hug.

Returning the embrace for the barest of moments, Carth then disengaged himself, grabbed his gear and ran down the ramp.

**-O-**

Several hours later, Carth carefully made his way through a stone ravine leading up to the main plateau where the temple stood. Mines and other nasty surprises along the path had hampered a trek that should have taken at most an hour. The tall grass covering most of the ground hadn't helped. Every few meters he'd had to don a special visor that allowed him to see the faint metallic outlines of the buried charges. Some of the mines he'd been able to avoid, others took precious time to disarm so he could go through.

Looking over some boulders, he could still see the rancors playing or lounging in the sun off in the distance. He just needed to make one last bend and then it'd be a straight run towards the temple entrance. Rising from the cluster of rocks, Carth started to round the bend when the ground suddenly rumbled. He froze. Throwing himself flat against one side of the ravine, he hit a switch on his belt just as a rancor came into view.

The view around him suddenly shimmered and turned a dull grey as the stealth field enveloped him. Lurching forward on two stubby legs, the ten meter tall rancor stopped a short distance away and sniffed at the air with its flat nose, it's brown, scaly hide glistening in the sun. It growled deeply as it took an even deeper breath, it's massive clawed hands digging furrows in the ground. It's large bulbous head angled ponderously in one direction to the next, as if homing in on something. Carth's insides clenched as the massive creature's tiny eyes swung in his direction…stopped for an instant…and then kept going. Carth sighed guardedly.

_Thank you, Mission..._

He remained stock still, waiting for the massive carnivore to turn around and rejoin its brethren. Finally, it snorted in boredom and turned to leave when the ground rumbled yet again. A deafening roar split the air above. Carth's head snapped up and gaped in shock as the _Ebon Hawk_ flew low over the ground. It hung suspended over the ground for a few seconds before it thunderously accelerated up into the clouds.

"What the hell?" he said in loud astonishment. Too late, he slammed his mouth shut.

Even with the diminishing din from the Hawk's departure, the rancor's head reared up and swung in his direction. It rumbled ominously in its throat and sniffed here and there, it's nostrils flaring as it sought the source of the sound. Carth considered making a run for the temple. He took one step and then cursed silently as two more rancors joined the first, blocking the ravine. If he tried to run back the way he came, the stealth field might fail and he'd be easily spotted.

Sweat beaded on Carth's brow as he tried hard not to breathe. The first rancor's tiny, yellow, beady eyes narrowed as they fixed on his area.

Baring it's jagged teeth, it leaned in closer.

**-Continued-**


	2. Chapter 2

Redemption, Part Two

My thanks to Alice for her beta skills!

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Carth stood absolutely still as the rancor leaned ever closer, it's beady eyes locked in his direction. Razor sharp teeth gleamed dully in the sun as rivulets of rank saliva dripped steaming to the ground. The mammoth creature snorted once, it's small brain trying to comprehend how it's nose was saying one thing and it's eyes another. The stench of dead flesh and rotting meat wafted on a warm breeze over Carth from the creature's mouth and he fought hard not to gag.

He prayed Mission had at least given him a fully charged belt, since it seemed that it was the only thing that could confuse the rancor - that and the fact that rancors had very bad eyesight in broad daylight.

Carth blinked. Where had _that_ bit of information come from? The only other rancor he'd ever met had been on Taris, and he'd survived that encounter when...when...

His eyes widened and his gut tightened. Just as the rancor was almost on top of him, he jammed his hand into a belt pouch, desperately fishing around. His fingers clenched on a particularly small glass bottle with an injector on top. He yanked it out and hurled it with all he had right at the creature's face. The small vial easily shattered across it's tough, armored skin, splashing it's clear contents across armored scales.

The rancor's eyes shot open in surprise, irises violently dilating to the point the eyes were completely black. Snarling, it reared it's head back and swiped one giant claw across it's face, leaving bloody gashes in its wake. The warm wind picked up and carried the odor from the solvent across the field. Nearby, the two other rancors, bemused at other's display, suddenly stiffened as their sensitive noses caught the beguiling scent in the air. Both grunted then roared hysterically as they charged, teeth baring, towards the first.

The captain watched as the beasts rumbled toward him, shaking the earth with each step. Carth jumped away at the last second as the two carnivores collided into the first, all three then slamming with a tremendous thud into the side of the ravine. Not even caring if his invisibility failed him, he sprinted with total abandon back into the ravine. He spared one look back, and caught sight of the first rancor being torn to shreds and eaten alive by the other two. Thunderous screams of pain and agony echoed everywhere, chilling his soul.

After several minutes of hard sprinting, Carth paused near the end of the the ravine to catch his breath.

_No big surprises following me,_ he thought. _I guess that synthetic odor really did the trick. Can't believe I carried that stuff all the way from Taris. _

Back when they'd been trying to find Bastila, he, Revan and Mission had been sent by the Hidden Beks to get back a special accelerator taken by the Black Vulkars. The vial had been found purely by chance still gripped in the remains of a dismembered arm as Mission had been trying to find them a way into the Black Vulkars hideout.

Carth chanced a smile. _We found a way in alright...just beyond the lair of a very large and hungry rancor._

Careful searching around had found a data padd explaining how to use the odor within the vial. Essentially used as a diversion, it stimulated an incredibly ravenous hunger in the creatures. One drop on a plasma grenade later, and the beast lay on it's side, the victim of a very bad case of heartburn.

Even with a stitch in his side from the hard running, Carth couldn't stop from chuckling. _Mission definitely has a twisted mind. One drop of the stuff on a plasma grenade and she chucks it into a pile of bones nearby for the rancor to find._ He shook his head ruefully. _Poor guy. Talk about the galaxy's worst case of heartburn._

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Carth took off again, worry now etched on his face. Why had the _Ebon Hawk_ taken off? What had happened to make the crew leave him behind? Was it the Sith – or the Rakatans, perhaps? He ran around a large boulder just near to where he'd crash landed the starship. He rounded the bend...and stopped so suddenly he almost fell into the sand.

The first thing to hit him was the wall of smoke and heat. Acrid fumes from small patches of vegetation that had been set ablaze, and several palm trees had been charred to the ground. The ground showed signs of intense heat since some of the sand had been melted to darkened glass. Carth glanced at he boulder behind him and gingerly touched one of several blast marks that pockmarked the whole side. He turned and glanced back down at the scorched sands. Small fragments of casing were scattered here and there. Grenades. A glint off metal caught his eye and he spied what looked like two bodies on the ground – one clad in armor, the other covered in fur.

Carth's eyes widened in surprise and horror and he ran over, his heart hammering in his chest.

_Canderous...Zaalbar!_ The captain's thoughts races at light speed. _Did the Sith do this?_

Canderous and Zaalbar lay close to each other, side by side. The Wookiee's internal organs had spilled out between them from a clean cut right down his chest. A bloody dagger, still impaled in the Zaalbar's chest, was clutched in Canderous' gloved hand. The Mandalorian, however, hadn't escaped unscathed. Canderous still wore the full helm from his battle armor. _Not that it did the bastard much good, _the captain thought gimly.

The helmet had been twisted so far back by the Wookiee's powerful hands, it's visor faced almost completely backwards. No matter how much Carth had loathed the Mandalorian, he was glad he couldn't see the expression on the dead man's face.

_They killed each other – why?_

Turning away from the grisly tableau at his feet, he caught sight of a thin, crimson trail leading away. He followed it until he noticed a small figure lying on the ground. Carth broke into a run when he noticed the blue skin and lekku.

"Mission...!"

The youth lay huddled on her side under the remains of a palm tree, a mournful expression on her face, looking every bit her fourteen years. Scorched and burned skin could be seen through rips and chars on her clothing. Blood dripped and ran from many cuts and lacerations. Carth's insides twisted at the wounds the girl had received. He'd fought side by side with Jedi for more than a year, and knew lightsaber wounds when he saw them. An blaster pistol lay nearby. He checked it out and read the zero power reading on the charge.

_Empty,_ he thought. _She didn't go down without a fight._

A touch on a wrist found no pulse. _Gods, no!_

Carth hung his head and impotently ground his teeth in frustration. He could see no sign of anyone else from the party, or even of who attacked them. Frowning, he checked his chronometer. The Republic fleet must've reached the Star Forge by now and engaged the surrounding Sith armada. But with him stuck here and no way off this planet...

Carth stiffened. His hand, still holding on to Mission's wrist, felt the faintest of heartbeats. A sudden flush of hope surged through his veins. Springing into action, he quickly rummaged through all his pockets for a medpack, but came up empty. Desperately, he looked through the young rogue's pockets, but could only find a single battle stimulant. The officer looked from it to the mortally wounded girl. He shook his head.

_I can't do that - the shock might kill her! _ But Mission's wounds were already too far gone for any amount of medicine to help. Carth's grip on the stimulant tightened. _I have to know what happened here! I've got to know!_

Gently rolling the girl onto her back, Carth pulled off the plastic protector from the needle with his teeth and positioned it right over her chest.

_Please forgive me, Mission. I have no choice._

He jabbed the needle deep into the heart. When it went all the way in, he pressed the plunger down. Bright, clear liquid flowed through the hypo into her battered frame. Even with that much stimulant, Mission's body only jerked once, her eyes fluttering slightly. A haggard moan, just barely above a whisper, escaped from the girl's lips.

Carth pulled the syringe out and threw it aside. The small hand in his convulsed and squeezed with a death grip. Mission's eyes shot open and blearily looked all around her.

"Mission," Carth said squeezing her hand, "What happened here? Who did this to you?" He had to repeat himself several times before Mission turned her gaze on him.

Raw anguish and terror were all he saw in those eyes, chilling him right to the bone. For a second, she desperately tried to push Carth away.

"No, Mission, it's me!" he said. "C'mon, kid, stay with me!"

A small fire flashed in Mission's eyes at the name Carth used, then widened in dawning recognition. Lips trembling, Mission's tried to speak several times, but nothing came out. Grunting, she reached with her other hand and grabbed his collar, weakly pulling him down. Carth leaned over and placed his ear right over her mouth. She spoke breathlessly for a full minute, never stopping even as her grip started to weaken.

The words were so soft that Carth had a hard time making them out, but when he finally made out what she said, the blood drained from his face. Mission suddenly stopped talking, shuddered, and her last breath fell on Carth's stunned ear. The young twi'lek's hand slid away from his collar and fell limply to the sand.

His mind wrapped around her dying revelation, Carth barely noticed. The words bounced around in his mind, leaving him dizzy with shock. The irony and sick sense of déjà vu nearly threatened to overpower him. Bile burned in his gut, bubbling through his throat, but he forcefully kept it down. Mechanically, he reached over and placed Mission's hands across her chest.

Carth then lean forward and rammed his fist into the hot sand over and over, screaming so hard his voice echoed across the beach. As blood ran down his gritty fingers, he stopped and pressed the lacerated fist to his head.

_Focus, dammit, focus!_

He needed to get off this godsforsaken planet. Now. As he raised his gaze out towards the sea, it fell on several of the starship wrecks that littered the beach. One in particular looked like a modern Republic cruiser. Many of the systems might still be intact or at least reparable. Sparing one more glance at the dead girl at his feet, he ran down the beach, chucked his boots off and threw himself at the water, swimming towards the shipwreck.

Carth needed to do something, _anything,_ to escape the feeling of horror that clamped down on his very being. Mission had told him everything that had happened to her and to the others on the beach...and, oh, how he now wished she never had.

The pain in his lungs from the hard swimming towards the ship was nothing compared to the chasm now in his heart and soul at hearing the last four terrible words Mission gasped out to him before she died:

"Darth Revan has returned!"

**-Continued-**


	3. Chapter 3

Redemption – Part Three

A/N: For anyone out there interested in watching clips I've posted of the 'Dark Side Ending' of KOTOR, go to Youtube and do a search for 'Revan Returns, Dark Side Ending' or 'Revan's Dark Side Redemption'. There are eight clips in all.

Mucho thanks again to Alice for her beta skills. Her battle descriptions are incredible.

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In the very center of the Rakatan star system, perched above the blazing sun, hung the Star Forge, crown jewel of the once mighty Infinite Empire. A long, thin continuous stream of ionized plasma was leeched from the star and gathered at a focal point between the gigantic lower pylons. Once collected, the energy not only provided power for the massive space station, but also raw material for its extensive factory complex. Fighters, frigates and dreadnoughts emerged from various docking bays to orbit the station and fill the might ranks of the Sith war machine. 

A mere hundred kilometers away, the bulk of the Republic fleet was locked in a desperate battle with the main Sith armada. Republic fighters went toe to toe with scores of Sith counterparts in numerous vicious dogfights. Capital ships hurled turbolasers and proton torpedoes from extreme range, breaking up enemy formations and shattering shields. Missiles, contrails, explosions and debris littered much of the sky, destroying the serenity of space. Burning hulks from both sides drifted and collided to eventually be incinerated in the fiery surface of the sun.

At the front of the grand assault, turbolaser fire seared through the shields of a Republic cruiser, followed by a volley of torpedoes that tore into armored hull, deep in the guts of the hapless ship. The stricken vessel careened out of control, venting atmosphere and screaming crewmen into the cold blackness of space. The wreck spun wildly toward the enemy, clipping a Sith Destroyer, ripping its shield generators and command center clean off. The now defenseless Sith behemoth became a magnet for fire, drawing torpedoes and turbolaser bolts. Multiple flashes burst on the armored surface of the ship, rending its skin like long Kath claws across the belly of an Irian. Two Republic torpedoes smashed into the vulnerable magazine of the Destroyer and ignited unused ordnance. In a flash of light and shockwave, the Sith ship was no more.

No advantage could be gained in this galactic cataclysm, with only Death spurring both sides from above.

On the bridge of the Republic flagship, _Olympic_, Admiral Forn Dodonna pressed her lips together and gripped the arms of her command chair as the ship shuddered from a near miss of a torpedo. Outwardly calm, she inwardly winced as yet another capital ship flared once on the tactical display before her and vanished.

_How many __more deaths is that? A hundred? Two? I can't mourn them now, even if I did give the order to press the attack. Bastila was right, if we don't take out the Star Forge now, the Sith will never be defeated. _

Several hours before, Bastila had contacted her from the _Ebon Hawk_, first bringing the dismaying news that Carth Onasi had died in her rescue. The Jedi then argued against pulling back, urging the fleet to press the attack while she dock with the space station and mount an assault against Darth Malak. Dodonna had understood that this fight would decide the fate of the Republic and had relented.

The fleet had held since then...but at such horrific cost.

The bridge shuddered again as the cruiser traded long-range turbolaser volleys with a Sith frigate. Dodonna rose from her chair to walk towards the main display, staggered slightly and reached for a support. Several crewmembers fell from their seats under a shower of sparks as the ship shook violently. The Admiral helped her tactical officer up off the ground and then glanced down at a diminutive figure at her side. There was a cold pit in her stomach and a burning question that needed to be asked.

"Has there been _any_ word from Bastila or the other Jedi that landed?" she asked, her voice taut and controlled.

She could not betray her inner fears and doubts, not with the rest of the bridge crew looking to her for support.

Jedi Master Vandar Tokare sighed as he glanced up from the display. "Nothing, Admiral. All the Jedi we could bring to this battle followed the _Ebon Hawk_ as it made it's way towards the Star Forge. The last transmission indicated Bastila and...her Padawan fighting their way past the Sith. Since then, we've heard nothing." The Master's eyes narrowed, his large ears twitching. Something had bothered him about that transmission, but he couldn't place a finger on it.

"Even if we've held against the Sith for now, we can't keep this up for long," Dodonna said. "This battle will be for nothing if we take out that monstrosity and Malak still escapes. I can only hope we can give Bastila and her friend enough time to take out Malak and for her Battle Meditation to come into play." She watched on the display as squadrons of bombers began making their attack runs on the Star Forge. "We just have to hold out till then."

Vandar remained silent, looking out the main view port at the Star Forge itself, his worried expression only growing only deeper.

**-O-**

Deep within the Rakatan space station, a fight of a different sort was drawing to a close.

Bastila Shan parried a blow that nearly severed her head. Twisting, she pressed her opponent's blade down into the ground with one end of her double-sided weapon, making him lose his balance for a split second. Gripping her lightsaber and snapping her hips forward, Bastila plunged the other crimson blade right through her opponent's heart. The Sith Apprentice howled in pain as he collapsed to his knees, smoke sizzling from his chest. Bastila bared her teeth as she viciously slammed her boot across the face of her now dying foe, who sprawled to the floor. Wiping sweat from her brow, she watched in disdain as the hate in the man's eyes slowly faded into nothingness.

"Fool!" she sneered, tilting her chin upward. "To think you could pit yourself against one such as I."

Three apprentices had been left here in the Command Center to stop any on their way to the main Factory Floor where the self proclaimed 'Lord' Malak awaited. Bastila had tried to get them to see with their own eyes that the true Lord of the Sith, Darth Revan, had returned. Her words, however, had fallen on deaf ears...and whose idiot owners had now paid the price for their lack of vision.

Switching off her weapon, she looked around for a certain assassin droid that had accompanied them, and caught sight of a pair of photoreceptors flickering unsteadily. Bastila walked over and frowned down on the ruined and crackling remains of HK-47. The charred, smoking corpse of a second Sith Apprentice still smoldered nearby as well. Bastila's nose wrinkled at the thick stench of ozone and burnt flesh that hung in the air. The apprentice's ruined hand was stretched out in the direction of HK, whose metallic finger mounted flamethrower still sputtered fire.

The assassin droid had dispatched it's opponent in typically violent fashion...but not before being the target of a Force induced storm of charged particles. The black clad woman snorted.

"Pity. We could have used him as well as the Mandalorian." She shrugged. "They were expendable, they served their purpose."

As if in anger, the eyes on the droid flashed.

"Ingratitude: Just wait until I stand over your dismembered meatbag remains, you offshoot from a female quadruped."

HK's eyes dimmed and then grew dark.

Another small flash caught Bastila's attention and she was drawn to the gargantuan hologram that towered over an enormous dais in the center of the Command Deck. The Star Forge hung in the air, as it's immediate area showed two sets of large icons floating around it, with numerous smaller ones darting everywhere. Occasionally, an icon would flash and disappear altogether. The chorus of death in space was reaching a crescendo.

"The Republic fleet is closing in on us," she said with a curl of her lip. "Admiral Dodonna is a persistent, if annoying, adversary...don't you think, Lord Revan?"

But no answer was forthcoming. Bastila snapped her gaze over and caught sight of her master looking down at the body of the last Sith Apprentice. Eyes narrowing, she walked over.

Darth Revan – formerly Republic soldier Mirelle Dana – simply stared down at her dead opponent, a mildly confused expression on her face. Two deactivated lightsabers hung limply in her hands. Her brows furrowed as a hand came and up and rubbed her temple. She arrested the motion when she caught sight of the armored gloves she wore. Blinking, she looked down at the redone ebon Sith robes fashioned by the Star Forge's computers.

"Master?"

Revan turned to stare in bemusement as Bastila stood by her side.

"Bastila...?"

Staring intently back at her master, Bastila gently but firmly grasped the other's shoulder, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

"Focus, my lord," she said slowly. "The longer we waste here is another moment that that traitor of a former apprentice grows ever stronger. You must move quickly if you're to exact vengeance. Remember the cowardly way Malak usurped your title from afar? Or how he toyed with you as you fought on the _Leviathan_? You _can_ crush him, my master – remember that. He is _nothing_!" she vehemently finished, her face taut with barely controlled rage.

The fiery passion in Bastila's words cleared away the clouded expression in the Sith Lord's face. Her eyes burned as she tightened her grip on her weapons, back straight and jaw set. Seeing the resolve in Revan's eyes, the other woman nodded, a wicked smile returning to her lips. She then glanced back and pointed towards the massive hologram.

"The entire Republic fleet is about break through our line and assault the Star Forge. If I don't use my Battle Meditation, Admiral Dodonna's capital ships will destroy everything we've worked for. You have to go and face Malak without me." Her voice lowered to a whisper and the space between the women chilled by several degrees. "Find him. Kill him and reclaim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith!"

Revan hesitated for just a moment before turning and marching out of the Command Center. When the doors slammed down behind Revan's receding back, a corner of Bastila's mouth quirked for just a second.

Turning back, she faced the tactical hologram that towered over her.

"Let us see how the Republic likes it this time," she murmured, her voice full of venom, as she knelt down on to the cold, metal floor. She slowly started to focus by taking long, deep breaths. Closing her eyes, she could hear the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. With each passing breath, her heart rate slowed. All external stimuli faded from Bastila's consciousness as she was completely absorbed by her breathing.

As she found her center, Bastila opened up to the Force, her consciousness expanding far beyond the confines of the Command Center. As a creature of chaos, she could better sense the fury of the battle that played out in space.

Through Battle Meditation, the collective 'will' of both combatants was laid bare for the user to see...or manipulate. Tendrils of the Force connected everyone on both side of the battle. Like a small stone dropped into a pond, the tightening or loosening of those tendrils caused 'ripples' in the battle space.

Small beads of sweat formed on Bastila's forehead as she slowly strengthened resolve in certain key Sith forces. Groups began to fight with even better efficiency than ever before, fighter pilots and capital ships shot down the enemy with unerring precision. On the Republic side, Bastila strengthened doubt and fear, making pilots second guess themselves while their foes out flew them, or hesitate from taking risks long enough to be targeted.

Slowly, the battle started to swing in favor of the Sith. Bastila smiled as she sensed the Republic defenses begin to crumble.

_It won't be long now before the Republic fleet is decimated.__ Those fools on the Council should have never underestimated me. How I wish I could see at least one of my old masters' faces now..._

Her breath suddenly caught in her throat as she sensed a presence out among the enemy ships - a very familiar, very powerful presence.

_Interesting_. _The idiot Malak must have missed one in his assault of Dantooine._

She toyed with the notion of withdrawing her presence so as to go undetected, but then crushed the thought. No, let them know why they are losing...let them _all_ know the true meaning of despair.

Bastila's eyebrows rose and she smirked humorlessly as the identity of the presence became apparent.

"Hello..._Master_ Vandar."

She then tipped her head back...and laughed maniacally.

**-Continued-**


End file.
